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Animo Charter High School fire caused by electrical problem, says fire official

School administrators are not sure the academic semester will be able to begin as planned in August.
Graham Clark
No one was harmed by the fire.
Graham Clark
What remains after Animo South Los Angeles Charter High School caught on fire.
Graham Clark
The rubble has been undisturbed, as the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Graham Clark
Part of Animo High School is currently under construction, and was not damaged by fire.
Graham Clark

KPCC and wire services|July 24, 2014

The fire that destroyed a building housing Animo South Los Angeles Charter High School in South Los Angeles was caused by an electrical problem in the building's attic, a county fire official said Thursday.

The flames -- reported at 2:21 p.m. in the 11000 block of South Western Avenue -- spiraled about 100 feet in the air, making the fire visible throughout much of the Los Angeles Basin, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Rick Flores said.

Three firefighters suffered minor injuries, but all were treated at the scene, Flores said.

"The fire's origin was in the attic," he said. "The cause was determined to be an electrical problem whose origin was not specifically known."

A damage estimate was not yet available, Flores said. About 20 minutes after firefighters arrived at the scene, they went into defensive mode, moving out of the building and drowning the fire from the exterior, Flores said.

The fire went to a second alarm at 2:42 p.m.

Sanchez noted that there were no students, staff or teachers at the campus.

Christina de Jesus -- CEO of Green Dot public schools, which runs the charter school under Los Angeles Unified School District control -- said that despite the fire, school would start as scheduled on Aug. 12.

"We are working very closely with Los Angeles Unified School District officials on contingency plans to continue serving our students,'' de Jesus said. "School begins on Aug. 12 and we will have a plan in place to serve all of our students."